Portal 2

Finally getting a chance to check out Portal 2 after getting it on Tuesday.  I'm loving the humor so far.

God of War III

I finally finished God of War III for the PS3, it's the end of the trilogy about Kratos's search for revenge against the gods, Greek gods that is.  I didn't play the first teo but I knew the general story.  He was tricked into killing his own family and doing the general bidding of the gods against his will.  He finds out the Zeus is his father and goes to seek revenge with the help of the Titans.  Visually, the game is a pure treat and shows the capabilities of the PS3.  The sheer scale of the Titans is incredible; what's even more amazing is that these huge behemoths are walking around causing destruction while you're on them or as they walk by in the background.  I didn't feel that I needed to play the previous two while playing GOWIII, but I'm sure it does help and may have caused even more shock and closure to this already amazing story.  My favorite games have a great story, message, and are scattered with memorable quotes.  For me, I will remember this one for it's epic story and scale along with a message left by a dead companion to our antihero Kratos, "Hope is what makes us strong, it is why we are here.  It is why we fight with when all else is lost."

Mafia II

So I just finished Mafia II for the PS3 and let me say that the story is superb.  If you're anything like me and like mafia or any rise to riches stories then this is for you.  I rented it from Blockbuster a few days, but do I wish I brought it?  Absolutely not.  Crazy huh?  The problem is, while the story isn't too short, there's not much to do outside of the story or once the game is beat.  There aren't any side missions or a multiplayer component either and for $60 you want some kind of replayability.  With that being said, if the price drops to something you feel reasonable for what I just described, then pick it up or do as I do an run over to your local Blockbuster, before they file for bankruptcy and close all the stores down.

Top 5 Dead or Alive

Towards the end of my work day, I pull out the trusty Evo 4G, I always work more than 8 hours so no talk about me slaking.  I open my engadget app and see that sony has released two new PS3s with HDDs larger than the current models.  This reminds me that today was their press conference at gamescom.  I was excited to hear about any new announcements but boy I sure was in for a surprise.

There were many announcements today, from what little I've read so far but my favorite has to be Mass Effect 2 for a few reasons.  It is one of maybe 3 games that are exclusive to the XBOX 360 that I'd want to play and own.  Mass Effect 2 received excellent reviews, much higher than it's predecessor, and it contains elements of my favorite game genres.  I love having the ability to choose in a game and Mass Effects give you that all the time.  Also, I'm a huge RPG fan, so the upgradability of characters attracts me the this gem of a game.  It comes out in January and I will be getting it.  

Thinking about why I like Mass Effect, I also thought about my all time favorite games.  These games had a great mix of story and excellent gameplay.  These are in no particular order:

• Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
• Uncharted 2 (PS3)
• Jak 3 (PS2)
• Final Fantasy X (PS2)
• Red Dead Redemption (PS3)

Of course I like plenty of other games like anything from the Ace Combat series, Street Fighter, or any of the Gundam games that came out during the PS2s hay day, but these are the ones that are constantly in my mind due to their addicting nature and story that made my brain go into overdrive or just flat out made my jaw drop.  So those are my top five, dead or alive.  Well, till next time . . . . PEACE